Top 10 Responsible Holidays

They’re just twenty-five kilometres from the Costa Blanca, as the crow flies, but the contrast couldn’t be sharper. The mountains of Alicante, location of one of our best-loved walking holidays, conceal a beautiful and completely unspoiled world of dramatic ravines, craggy limestone peaks, and delightful small villages. For your accommodation we’ve chosen authentic mountain hotels that welcome you into the local community – our second base is a particular highlight: a small, family-run hotel where the homemade meals are often inspired by age-old recipes, and are served in an atmospheric vaulted dining room.

The charming Biohotel Eggensberger is resounding proof that a hotel can provide 4-star comfort yet at the same time reduce its climate impact. Set in a quiet, lakeside village with views towards the Bavarian Alps, this family-run property has been recognised with several awards and certifications for its sustainability efforts, with highlights including the organic restaurant – featuring produce from the family farm – as well as a travel pass entitling guests to free use of local buses, and the option to exchange daily room cleans for bar vouchers. We offer both summer walking holidays and winter stays here.

Many visitors pass through the Scottish Borders, but few linger to appreciate the area’s beguiling blend of tradition and beauty. On our leisurely walking break in this often-overlooked region, we work exclusively with family-run businesses, who, in turn, employ locally based staff. Our walking routes also give numerous opportunities to visit local attractions, to dine at local restaurants, and to patronise independent local shops.

In many ways, there is nowhere more authentically ‘Spanish’ than Asturias. The only part of the mainland to resist Moorish invasion all those centuries ago, this deeply traditional province has it all – an extraordinarily beautiful coastline, proud culinary heritage, and a long and colourful history. And there’s no more authentic way to explore than on the FEVE – the narrow-gauge railway that transports both locals and visitors from one tiny Asturian station to another, with plenty of time to appreciate the lovely countryside on the way. Our rail journey through Asturias makes great use of the FEVE, and all also includes stays at two fine casas de Indianos – palatial homes built from fortunes made in the Americas, a typical feature of the region.

Travelling to Italy’s secluded south for our Puglian cycling holiday reveals a deeply rural and half-forgotten landscape that is characterised by rich red earth, carefully tended olive groves, and a simple-yet-mouthwatering cuisine. Another of the region’s distinguishing features is its traditional working masserie: Roman villa estates that have been converted into stylish and comfortable ‘farmhouse hotels’ – each quite unique, but united in their commitment to offering a warm welcome and authentic local produce. Our cycling holiday gives you the opportunity to experience all this, and as a result provides an important support to one of Italy’s most rural economies.

In Portugal, the Douro Valley has its vines, Sintra has its castles, and the Algarve has its coastline. But in the dramatic Arrábida Natural Park, just a stone's throw from Lisbon, you'll find all that and – as yet – it's virtually undiscovered. Our Arrábida walking holiday unveils the best of this unspoiled region, from its panoramic coastal, valley, and ridge-top paths to acclaimed seafood, cheese and wines. Round off your discovery of traditional Portugal with a stay at the impressive Pousada Castelo de Palmela, a former convent set within the walls of a 15th-century castle.

Accessible by ferry from southern England (regular sailings depart from both Poole and Portsmouth), our short walking break on Guernsey is a celebration of a serene island with rich birdlife, crowd-free beaches, award-winning gardens, and the freshest fish and seafood. We include an unlimited local bus pass on the island, giving you a lower-carbon travel alternative to taxi or car, and you’ll also have the chance to visit the neighbouring, car-free islands of Herm and Sark. Don’t miss the local oysters on Herm, or Sark’s enchanting walled gardens.

Although Slovenia is a nation with an impressive array of green initiatives, many locals prefer to travel by car – which makes it all the more important to support the country’s railways. Our three-centre rail journey begins amid the peaks of the Julian Alps, where you’ll find both the iconic glacial lakes of Bled and Bohinj and your first hotel: Sunrose 7. The current hotel opened its doors in 2019 following a highly sensitive restoration process, during which much thought was given to the products and materials used. Sunrose 7 ensures its day-to-day practices incorporate a strong concern for the environment, and also plays a vital role in the local economy through employment and food provision. Another of the holiday’s stops is Ljubljana, a one-time European Green Capital and a city with an extraordinary amount of green space, as well as a culinary offering that revolves around ingredients that are both seasonal and local.

David and Emma Illsley care deeply about the long-term sustainability of the Alpujarras region and a few days at their delightful Casa las Chimeneas will give you a real insight into some of the ongoing projects on this organic farm. They use traditional farming methods, learning from the locals, working in tune with nature and the seasons, and eschewing herbicides and pesticides. The result is a variety of delicious organic produce that is used by the hotel kitchen, and an abundance of wildflowers, which in turn allow insects and birdlife to flourish.

It's possible to travel all the way from the UK to Switzerland by rail for this hotel-to-hotel Swiss walking holiday. But even if you fly, once you’ve touched down in Zürich, Geneva or Basel, you can rely on the highly efficient Swiss public transport system to take you the rest of the way. The holiday makes use of public transport on the walking routes, too: from scenic gondolas to narrow-gorge cog railways, and electrically powered locomotives. Your luggage is transported between the hotels using the transport system, and – in a further bonus – two of the mountain villages where you stay are completely car-free.